Roadside Troubles
by shadowcaster01
Summary: Selene wanted to get off of the highway; it was dark and no one was around...


_Hi everyone,_

_Here's another fic in response to a HPFC competition. The entry details are below. Hope you all like it…_

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It was already dark by the time Selene finally pulled onto the final lonely road on the way to her aunt's home, tucked out of sight in the middle of nowhere. It had a single lane, and twisted its way haphazardly through the forests that surrounded it. The area was usually fairly peaceful in the light of day, but in the middle of the night it was a completely different matter. She had the radio turned up loud enough to keep herself distracted from the constant unsettling quiet outside the car doors.

Selene grumbled to herself softly as another driver whizzed past her with their headlights turned up on max, half blinding her with the glare. She blinked a few times to regain her focus and continued on. A few times she saw a car or two pass her by, but for the most part she didn't see anyone else. At times like this, Selene found herself wishing that her aunt could have been a bit more normal and decided to settle down in one of the suburbs, rather than some tiny town she had difficulty finding on a map…

She sighed when an overly annoying song blared out of the speakers, so Selene reached over for the dial to find something tolerable. Her gaze flickered from the road for only a moment, but it was enough. When she glanced up again, Selene cried out in alarm when a huge shadow flew across the view of her windscreen. She veered sharply to the left to try to avoid it while slamming hard on the brakes, but she was too slow. Selene cringed inwardly as her tires squealed, ending with a loud _thud_. She was sure she would have flown clear out the window if she had been driving any faster, but Selene was thrown forward into the steering wheel, smacking her head. She lost consciousness.

A few moments later, Selene sat up sharply, hissing in pain. She glanced down; her legs were caught in the space for the pedals, which had closed in during the crash. Selene stared. What was she supposed to do now? She was clearly stuck, but she had no means of finding help. She craned her neck to see over the end of the car. Her headlights were, miraculously, still on, and she was given a much clearer view of what she'd hit.

Selene gasped. It was a rather large deer, much bigger than any she'd seen before. From the light of her car, she could see its brown fur and dark antlers. Why had it been in such a hurry? Was there something chasing it? Her eyes widened. Would whatever it was attack her? Selene forced herself to calm down; she locked all of her doors and settled back into her seat. There was nothing else she could do at that moment but wait. Hopefully another driver would find her and get help...

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Sounds of movement near the front of her car had Selene bolting upright again. There was something shuffling its way around, and she was hesitant to find out what it was. More noises soon accompanied it. Was there a pack? She'd heard stories about wolves living in this area of forest, although usually they were a great distance away from the cars and highways. She certainly hoped it wasn't; Selene wasn't sure what she'd do in that case.

The noises suddenly died down and Selene relaxed. Maybe whatever it was had left? She shook her head; it would probably be best not to think too much about it at that moment, she'd make herself paranoid otherwise. Selene settled back into her seat and tried her best to get comfortable. It was difficult, since her legs didn't feel right, and her head throbbed like crazy. After all of her effort to remain calm, though, the next thing she heard nearly sent her into a panic.

There were voices nearby, unless she was imagining things. If that was true, then her whole situation had just become a whole lot worse. Was that really a deer she'd seen, or was it a local who'd been out hunting? Selene really didn't want to know, but she knew she had to. In a move she hoped she wouldn't regret, Selene rolled down the driver's window and called out into the night.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

She waited for a few minutes for a reply, which didn't come. It was both troubling and reassuring; did she hit someone, or was it another case of road kill? Selene stared out into the darkness, worried and confused. If her legs weren't trapped, she would have walked around to survey the damage by now. She'd also know exactly what had happened.

A knock came at the opposite door. Selene jumped, clutching at her chest. She squinted through the other window and just about sighed in relief. There was someone standing outside her car door. Had another driver already noticed her predicament? She waved at them to come around to her side so she could talk to them easier; they seemed to understand her message walked over.

"Are you alright?"

Selene glanced up to meet the gaze of a young man who appeared to be no older than his teens, she couldn't really make out too many distinguishing features in the gloom, but she guessed he was blond. He leaned against the frame of the car slightly, concern evident on his face.

"Yes, I'm fine," she began. "But I'm stuck. I can't move my legs…"

The man leaned in further and winced. "Can you feel anything?"

Selene blinked. "I'm not sure; hold on a second." She tried wriggling her toes, but found she couldn't.

The man's face fell. "Don't worry," he said to her. "I'll get you out."

"How are you going to do that," she blurted, staring at him. "I'm sure that I'll need the fire department to pry me out of here…"

He sighed in exasperation, which confused her. "Please don't ask," he muttered softly. "It would take too long to explain, and I'm sure you wouldn't like it…"

Selene fell back into her seat and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she finally said. "I won't ask; are you happy now?"

"Yes."

The man reached into his sleeve, pulling out something that looked like a stick. She stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Are you kidding me?" He whirled around in surprise at her outburst.

"Huh?"

"Is this some kind of joke to you," Selene ranted. "Do you think this is funny?"

The man stared at her wide eyed. "No," he choked out. "Of course not…"

"Then why are you fiddling with a stupid stick? Do you honestly think that's going to help me?"

"Look, I –"

"What's going on here, Moony," another male voice piped up suddenly. "Shouldn't you have fixed it by now?"

The man – Moony – turned around. "No," he replied tersely. "It's become complicated; she won't let me help."

The conversation between the two men continued for a few minutes, leaving Selene to seethe in her seat at the stupidity of everything happening to her at that moment. She was stuck, injured, and her car was most likely totaled from the crash; the two idiots outside her window happily chatting away made it all worse. She would have loved to strangle both of them right then. Finally all eyes turned to her again. The second man stepped forward, stooping slightly to see her better.

"Look lady," he ground out. "Just go with it, all right? You can comment and ask about it later. For now, just trust that we know what we're doing."

Moony appeared nervous for some reason. "Are you sure about this, Padfoot? We'll have enough trouble trying to explain about Prongs. What will they say when they see this?"

"Mate, we don't know healing. We have to take them to someone."

The blond sighed. "You'll do the explaining, then."

His friend smiled. "Deal."

At the end of the discussion, Selene was far more confused than she was when it started. When both of them pulled out a stick and pointed it at her, she swallowed slightly. She had a really bad feeling about this…

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_This was in response to Fire the Canon's May Fanfiction Tournament Round 2._

_Words: 1424_

_Until next time, peace out!_

_Shadowcaster01_


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